Children are picky eaters. There is a biological reason for this. As
hunter-gatherers, children had to be able to distinguish between
foods that would make them sick and those that were safe to eat.
Nature often says "poison" with a bitter taste. Humans therefore
evolved to accentuate this
aversion in children, as it gave them
time
to learn through experience which bitter plants were edible and
which were not.

I don't believe that most children who are picky eaters are simply
being stubborn or disrespectful. Some simply have a heightened
physiological (and probably psychologically hard-wired) aversion to
foods that are new or "funny" tasting.

There are cookbooks aimed at children (The Baby Bistro and
Spatullata are two) that have healthy food that young kids will
like
the first time about 90% of the time. Simple ingredients,
avoidance
of spicy spices (though kids seem to love sweet paprika), and
simple,
well-balanced flavor combinations make the food palatable for
kids.

This would be a standard restaurant setup, with food that is
specifically tailored to the tastes of children of various age groups.
Toddlers love bland stuff, little kids are a little more adventurous,
and my oldest child will eat smoke mozzarella-stuffed lamb
burgers.

So they are given a choice. Every meal comes with an appetizer of
sorts, which is a tiny version of the entree in three different
versions. For instance, the grilled cheese sandwich could be done
as
AC on wheat, CC on wheat, and huntsman's on rye. The soup
could
from simple chicken soup to a ginger chicken soup to a french
version with chanterelles and white wine.

The menus list the entree choices, and the kids are able to choose
from the three versions. Other "entree apps" are available for a
nominal price.

Orders are taken on a smart pad, and the kids are able to give
themselves a number or nickname that tracks their tastes and
preferences. This also allows some pretty simple software to
make
suggestions based upon ingredients. In subsequent trips, the
children
are presented with a fourth tasting app according to these
suggestions. If they pick the tasting app as the entree, they get to
taste the bolder versions as well.

At the end of the evening, everyone gets a printout of how their
taste adventurousness is coming along. It could have cool charts
and
graphs representing their willingness to eat more grownup and
diverse and healthy foods.

You would have to have a very cool and patient staff to pull this
off,
and you would have to be set up to break entree portions down
into
mini portions.

//most children who are picky eaters are simply being stubborn or disrespectful//

It's the parents' responsibility to teach their children about food; what's good/bad for you, what's appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner, what's available and/or affordable, etc. If there's a genuine physiological problem (such an alergic reaction) then it may be appropriate to tailor the child's diet accordingly, but on the whole, the child who just wants to eat chocolate and crisps (that's candy and chips to some) and kicks up a fuss if given meat and vegetables should be brought into line with the rest of the world. How this is done is a matter for the parents to decide; mental or physical torture may be effective - perhaps toned down to socially acceptable levels along the lines of withdrawal of privileges or being told to sit on the naughty step.

From "Picky's" to "kiddie eats"? Really? Perhaps I just don't share the particular gross association (from "Picky's" to "picking one's nose"), but that name changed from cute and accurate to vague and a bit patronizing. "Choosy's"?